Connect USB-C SSD to iMac TB2 port?

[colinsky]

Is there any way to do it? I have a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD that works fine through the USB-3 port of my Late 2015 iMac, but it seems like it would be twice as fast through the Thunderbolt 2 port. I haven't found any way to do it.

 

[CheesePuff]

You need to buy a Thunderbolt 2 enclosure which are expensive and a bit hard to come by these days

 

[Fishrrman]

There's probably no "cheap way" to do this.
You'd have to buy a thunderbolt enclosure (rare and expensive).
Not worth the trouble, and I don't think you'd see that much of a "bump up" in terms of speed, either.

 

[EmmEff]

TB3 NVME enclosure + Apple TB2-TB3 adapter

 

[PaulD-UK]

"TB3 NVME enclosure + Apple TB2-TB3 adapter"

I can confirm that this works - I have a Glyph Thunderbolt 3 Dock which contains an NVMe M.2 slot into which I fitted a WD Black 1TB, and using the Apple adapter it boots Catalina onto my TB1 2012 MacBook Pro just fine. The dock was really cheap locally, but that was a one-off price ;-) It runs at full TB1 speed.

 

[kohlson]

IIRC there was a MacWorld article about this. The key is to get the Apple TB--USB-C adapter/cable, as it works in both directions. The author tried some others and they didn't work.

 

[chrfr]

IIRC there was a MacWorld article about this. The key is to get the Apple TB--USB-C adapter/cable, as it works in both directions. The author tried some others and they didn't work.

In spite of that adapter's name, it only works with actual Thunderbolt devices. It does not work with USB-C only devices.

 

[colinsky]

IIRC there was a MacWorld article about this. The key is to get the Apple TB--USB-C adapter/cable, as it works in both directions. The author tried some others and they didn't work.

Thanks, Kohlson.

 

[chrfr]

Thanks, Kohlson.

That adapter will not work if your SSD is only a USB-C SSD, which it likely is since it works on your 2015 iMac.